PRESS RELEASES | OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

HELENA - Governor Steve Bullock and Montana Department of Commerce Director Meg O’Leary today announced the recent award of $698,091 in grants to eight research projects in Missoula, Billings, Bozeman and Belgrade. The funding is being made available through the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology (MBRCT). The fifth Pillar of Bullock’s Main Street Montana Project outlines steps that Montana can take to encourage innovation in Montana.

These state-of-the-art projects will significantly and positively impact Montana’s opportunities for economic growth,” said Bullock. “Through investments in innovative research and commercialization, we’re not only supporting cutting-edge projects and jobs today, but we’re also helping to define what Montana’s economy looks like for years to come.”
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Tax Foundation Rates Montana's Business Tax Climate as Sixth Best in the NationOctober 28, 2014 | Office of the Governor

HELENA - Today Governor Bullock touted a report from the Tax Foundation which found that Montana continues to have one of the best business tax climates in the nation. Montana was ranked as having the sixth best tax climate in the study. The Tax Foundation is a non-partisan tax research group.

"This is yet another sign of all the benefits of doing business in Montana," Bullock said. "This report shows that in addition to the highly-trained workforce and unmatched quality of life, Montana also offers new and existing businesses a climate that will allow them to thrive."

HELENA - Today the U.S. Department of Labor announced that Montana colleges have been awarded a $15 million grant to expand opportunities for Montanans to gain skills and credentials for high-paying jobs in the healthcare industry across the state. Through the "Montana HealthCARE" (Creating Access to Rural Education) grant, which will be administered by the Missoula College University of Montana, 15 Montana two-year, community colleges, and tribal colleges will partner with 39 healthcare providers - both public and private - to improve health care training opportunities in the state.

"A strong economy requires a talented and trained workforce, with the skills to fill the jobs that are most in demand, and this is especially true in Montana's growing healthcare industry," Governor Steve Bullock said of the grant. "This grant will facilitate innovative private-public partnerships to ensure our two-year and community colleges, universities, and tribal colleges, together with our State workforce systems, are responsive to the needs of healthcare employers as well as job seekers looking for opportunities in their local communities. The grant will be a critical component of Pillar I of the Main Street Montana Project (Train and Educate Tomorrow's Workforce Today)."

HELENA - Governor Steve Bullock will lead a delegation of Montana business owners on a trade mission to China from September 19 through September 28th. Organized by the Governor's Office, the Montana Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Commercial Service, the mission will be filled with business to business meetings, the goal of which is Montana companies returning home with signed contracts to sell their products in China.

"I am excited about the opportunity to further open Chinese markets to Montana businesses, and am honored to lead this delegation on my administration's first international trade mission," said Bullock. "China is a country with greate trade potential for Montana - perhaps our greatest opportunity for trade growth in the world - and I'm pleased to join the delegates and help them open the doors for businesses to sign contracts and make investment deals."

HELENA - As the Labor Day Weekend begins, Governor Steve Bullock, Lt. Gov. Angela McLean, and Commissioner of Labor Pam Bucy presented the 2014 Labor Day Report to the workers of Montana. By analyzing employment growth, wages, and job quality, the report makes it clear that the state's economy is strong, and is positioned to grow stronger over the coming years.

"Main Street Montana workers and businesses continue to drive our state's economic strength," Bullock said of the report's findings. "Businesses are hiring, workers are on the job, and entrepreneurs are making investments in the future of our state. All of these things make for an even brighter economic future for our state."

HELENA - This week, Lt. Gov. Angela McLean completed her tour of Montana's Tribal Nations, as part of the Main Street Montana Project. Over the last two months, McLean has hosted meetings on each of Montana's Indian reservations, and met with representatives from the Little Shell Tribe. During these meetings they discussed the economic development priorities laid out by the Project, and identified how they specifically could be implemented in each of the communities.

"Montana's Tribal Nations not only play an important role in influencing the culture and heritage of our state, but they also are crucial to our economic prosperity," McLean said of her visit. "Through these meetings, we had in-depth working sessions to begin to incorporate the goals of the Project in Indian Country."